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What is the difference between Retirement Living and other care options?
There is a blurring of the lines between the two types of communities within the senior housing industry regarding retirement and assisted living. A retirement living community may offer assisted living services. Historically, retirement living meant that the person would live in his or her own apartment, would have one to three meals provided each day, and would likely get housekeeping services once a week or once every other week.
Thanks to the Fair Housing Act, litigation, and the sheer competition among senior housing and care providers, the lines separating the two have become blurred in some instances. For instance, just 15 years ago, some retirement and assisted living communities did not allow wheelchairs, walkers or other assistive devices in their dining rooms. The Fair Housing Act states that a person may remain in their living unit as long as they are able to manage their own affairs. The document does not state that a person cannot hire all types of work to be done for them; it simply states that they have to be able manage their own affairs. As a result, we now see all types of mobility devices, and people with disabling illnesses no longer face the need to move out of communities.
A retirement living community need not obtain a license if they are not offering personal care services. On the other hand, an assisted living community must obtain a boarding home license with the Department of Social and Health Services ( DSHS) if personal care services are provided.
What can make it even a bit more confusing is that some communities can have licensed and unlicensed portions within their building. In other words, a 100-unit apartment complex may have 80 unlicensed apartments (retirement living) and 20 licensed apartments (assisted living). Some communities have what are called floating licenses, which means they can provide care services in any number of living units; whereas other communities have specific sections within a building where care services are offered.
Last update: 2007-01-31 14:09
Author: Tech Support
Revision: 1.0
